7 Best Undercounter Ice Makers 2019

February 17, 2019

Ice makers are quickly becoming essential home appliances, whether you love entertaining or simply enjoy having an icy, refreshing drink whenever you want. Under counter ice makers are a convenient choice as they fit in comfortably in your kitchen without using up precious countertop space. They are also designed to fit in well with your existing décor, just like any other home appliance like a dishwasher or fridge. There’s a lot to consider when buying an under counter ice maker, so we’ve reviewed some of the best on the market to help simplify your shopping process!

Best Under Counter Ice Makers

The majority of under counter ice makers are fairly expensive machines, costing around $600, but this one offers good value for money at an impressive $300 price tag. It doesn’t have the high capacity of other ice makers at 12lbs of ice cubes, but that’s enough to meet the needs of most families – even those who enjoy hosting BBQs and dinners – and the unit’s compact and convenient size more than makes up for the smaller capacity. It has a 6lbs storage bin and the automatic switch off feature ensures that once the bin is full, the machine stops producing ice. Another great feature is that this storage bin also functions as a freezer, which is not something you see often even in more expensive ice makers. This is a really useful function, keeping ice ready for use whenever you need it with no risk of melting.

It’s also a front-venting unit, so you can have it professionally installed
directly into your kitchen or bar cabinets. Alternatively, you can use it as a
freestanding machine since it has a stylish black cabinet and stainless-steel
door. It is also approved for installation in RVs and boats.

This is a high-performance yet affordable ice-maker that makes ice very quickly, making it perfect for kitchens and entertaining when you need high volumes of ice. In fact, it can produce up to 12lbs of ice in crescent-shaped cubes over 24 hours, which is more than enough for most households. It has a built-in freezer which is fantastic for storing around 6lbs of ice too – a very useful function that most ice-makers don’t have. Excess ice is stored in a freezer bin, ready to use whenever you want, so there’s no need to wait for fresh ice to be produced.

It’s good value for money too, costing around $380. It can be installed
as either a freestanding unit or a built-in ice maker, and its stainless-steel
design and reversible door is stylish as well, so it will fit in with your
kitchen décor. For optimal performance, it’s best to install the ice maker in a
cool section of your home and out of direct sun. Manufacturers do recommend
that you use a licensed plumber to install the ice maker.

The home isn’t the only place that can benefit from a high-quality ice
maker – it’s a great workplace amenity too. Because of the high-volume of
people and the high demand over peak periods like lunch hour, you need an ice
maker that has a very good production capacity and storage to make sure there’s
always enough ice for everyone. It’s also easily operated using computerized
controls.

The SPT IM-600US is a great fit for the workplace, with a 50lbs
production capacity for ice cubes and a storage bin that can hold 25lbs of ice
ready to use whenever you need it. With great storage like this, the best way
to make use of this machine’s capacity is to start a new batch overnight so you
walk in to a full bin of fresh ice each morning. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have
a freezer to store ice for very long periods, but it’s insulated well enough to
ensure that the ice in storage doesn’t melt very quickly, especially in an
air-conditioned office.

It’s fairly easy to install – although using a professional is
recommended – and has a reversible stainless-steel door, so you can set it up
to open from either side. It looks good from a style perspective too, making it
a functional but good-looking addition to your office kitchen or cafeteria.
It’s recommended that you use filtered or purified water to get the best
quality ice cubes, and that the unit is cleaned once a week to remove scale
build-up.

The ice it produces is of a very high-quality, but it does come out in
sheets instead of cubes, so you have to break them up manually.

If high-capacity and high-quality ice is non-negotiable in your home, then this is the under counter ice maker for you. It’s energy-efficient and offers a production capacity of 50lbs a day with the ability to store 25lbs of fresh ice, on par with many commercial ice makers. This is more than enough ice for any household, so it’s great for entertainers and people who run small businesses from their home. One great feature is the automatic switch-off that stops ice production as soon as the storage bin is full, so you’re never going to have an overflow of ice.

This is also the ideal under counter ice machine for anyone who is only interested in the very best ice for their drinks. It produces clear, gourmet ice cubes – the same quality as ice used in top restaurants and bars. This isn’t just about looking great, as ice cubes like these are harder than normal ice cubes, so they melt slower and don’t dilute your drinks.

A good amount of effort has gone into the design of the unit itself. It
has a reversible stainless-steel door to make placement in your kitchen, bar or
office easy, and its black cabinet walls means it looks great even if you leave
it freestanding rather than installing it into a cabinet. It’s recommended by
the manufacturers that you have it installed professionally rather than going
the DIY route.

This is a fantastic under cabine ice maker ideal for home bars and drinks aficionados because it produces uniquely-shaped gourmet ice cubes, the same that you’d find at a high-end restaurant or bar. These ice cubes are clear and highly compact, so they look better than regular ice cubes and melt slower, so your drink doesn’t get diluted too quickly. This makes them the perfect ice cubes for whiskey, wines, cocktails and spirits. Although it can be installed as a freestanding unit, its front exhaust feature makes it the perfect fit for installing it under cabinet and keeping your bar surface free and uncluttered. It is also approved for outdoor installation, making it a great choice for outdoor kitchens and bars.

Its production capacity is impressive too at 65lbs, with a storage
capacity of 26lbs – the same as would be required for a commercial bar, so get
ready to entertain the whole neighborhood!

This ice maker is all about producing a high quantity of the very best
ice cubes, so it also comes with a fully-integrated water quality sensor and an
integrated control panel that keeps you informed about water quality. This
monitors the quality of the water coming into the machine and, if hard water is
sensed, it automatically flushes away excess minerals. This prevents scale
build-up which can cause wear-and-tear on the machine as well as negatively
affecting the quality of your ice cubes.

When considering this machine, keep in mind that it is a large and
fairly heavy unit, and manufacturers do recommend having this machine
professionally installed by a licensed plumber.

This is a premium-quality ice maker with a stylish all-black finish, but it’s great looks do come at a higher price. You can expect to pay over $1,000 for this under cabinet unit that produces 23lbs of ice per day.

There are some impressive features to this unit that may justify the price
tag for many people. It’s impressively quiet, makes elegant, crescent ice cubes
very quickly and has an integrated freezer function to ensure no ice goes to
waste. It can store 12lbs of ice, so it’s great for entertaining or for large
families, and it features a reverse door so that you can install and use it
with ease. This ice maker can also come with a customized look, so you can
choose the color door panels that best suit your kitchen or bar.

Despite being an under cabinet ice maker of such high quality, it unfortunately doesn’t make gourmet ice cubes. Manufacturers also recommend that you have it installed by a licensed plumber.

This ice maker is a good choice for energy-conscious households or
offices, as it is Energy-Star approved and CFC-free. It is air-condenser
cooled, makes up to 44lbs of high-quality clear or gourmet ice cubes per day
and has a storage bin that can hold up to 25lbs of ice. These ice cubes are the
preferred choice for cocktails, spirits and high-quality wines because they
look great and melt very slowly, so drinks don’t get diluted as quickly. It
also has an automatic shut-off switch that detects when the machine is full of
ice and switches off the cycle.

For ease of installation, it has a reversible stainless-steel door, and manufacturers recommend that you use a licensed plumber to install the unit – either as a free-standing or under cabinet ice maker– due to it requiring a gravity drain.